My Good Side by Scheana Shay Summary and Analysis

My Good Side by Scheana Shay is a candid memoir that traces her life from childhood dreams in Azusa, California, to the highs and lows of fame, relationships, and motherhood.  Best known as a cast member of Vanderpump Rules, Shay shares her story beyond the reality TV spotlight, offering insight into her early ambitions, painful experiences with bullying, struggles with love, and pursuit of success in Hollywood.

With honesty and vulnerability, she reflects on the challenges of addiction, betrayal, and loss, while also celebrating resilience, personal growth, and the joy of becoming a mother.  It is a story of perseverance, mistakes, redemption, and self-discovery.

Summary

Scheana Shay’s journey begins in Azusa, California, where her childhood was filled with performances in school plays, cheerleading, dance recitals, and beauty pageants.  Inspired by pop icons like Britney Spears and Jennifer Love Hewitt, she longed for a life in the spotlight.

Though her family life was complex—with two father figures and a biracial identity she sometimes struggled with—her father Ron provided steady encouragement.  Determined and confident, she pushed boundaries early on, insisting on playing baseball instead of softball at age seven and proving herself on an all-boys team.

Her early confidence wavered during junior high when she became a target of bullying.  She endured name-calling, harassment, and exclusion, which left her anxious and depressed.

The pain was compounded by her mother’s miscarriage, though joy returned when her younger sister Cortney was born.  By the end of middle school, Scheana faced her tormentor in a final fight, symbolizing her resilience and readiness for a fresh start in high school.

At Bishop Amat Memorial, she juggled academics, part-time jobs, and her growing ambitions in entertainment, while also navigating tumultuous teenage relationships.

College brought more independence and adversity.  While studying communications and broadcast journalism at Azusa Pacific University, she worked several jobs, one of which became the center of a high-profile case.

At Hooters, she and other women were secretly filmed while changing.  The case, taken up by attorney Gloria Allred, thrust Scheana into national media.

Though justice was served, the unwanted attention left lasting scars.  After graduation, she pursued Hollywood more directly, working at a cigar lounge in Beverly Hills where she met celebrities and fell into a secret relationship with actor Eddie Cibrian.

When the affair became public, she was vilified as a “homewrecker,” a reputation that followed her into later years.  A short-lived relationship with John Mayer also fueled tabloids, eventually costing her the cigar lounge job.

Her career shifted when she began working at Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurants, first Villa Blanca and then SUR, where she became part of the cast of Vanderpump Rules.  At SUR, tensions rose when she encountered Brandi Glanville, Eddie Cibrian’s ex-wife, intensifying her struggles with reputation.

Despite harsh treatment from coworkers, Scheana endured, leaning on allies like Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix.  The show offered visibility and stability, even as it exposed her personal life to scrutiny.

Amidst career progress, her personal life was turbulent.  She entered a relationship with Michael Shay, a childhood friend, and the two eventually married.

Though their bond was rooted in shared history, his addiction issues quickly surfaced.  Scheana discovered missing medication, financial instability, and possible infidelity, yet she stayed in denial for years.

His erratic behavior worsened, leading her to stage a confrontation on Vanderpump Rules.  When he denied responsibility, she asked for a divorce on camera.

Their split was swift but amicable, and though painful, she sought closure and later reached out with compassion when his mother passed away.

Not long after, she reunited with Rob, a former flame.  Although their chemistry was strong, Rob resisted commitment and admitted staying with her during filming only to avoid an on-screen breakup.

Their relationship ended, leaving her devastated again.  Seeking renewal, Scheana took a role in the Las Vegas stage show Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man, performing over 160 shows.

The independence boosted her confidence, but her distance from Los Angeles strained her position on Vanderpump Rules.  Eventually, producers demoted her role, deepening her insecurities about her career.

Around this time, Scheana confronted fertility challenges, freezing her eggs twice in hopes of securing her future as a mother.  She dated casually until meeting Brock Davies, an Australian athlete whose charm and openness rekindled her hope for lasting love.

Despite concerns about his past, she embraced their relationship.  During the pandemic, she suffered a miscarriage but soon conceived again, eventually giving birth to her daughter, Summer Moon, after a traumatic delivery complicated by preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome.

Motherhood became her greatest joy, even as it surfaced new struggles.

Following Summer’s birth, Scheana battled postpartum OCD, marked by intrusive fears of her daughter choking, falling, or stopping breathing.  She micromanaged every detail, cutting grapes into quarters and avoiding risks far beyond typical parental caution.

With therapy, including EMDR, she learned to manage her compulsions.  She grew more open about her struggles, raising awareness by sharing her story on Vanderpump Rules and through advocacy with the International OCD Foundation.

Her openness resonated with fans who recognized their own challenges in her journey.

Meanwhile, her relationship with Brock deepened.  He proposed in 2021, and though they briefly considered a secret wedding during a cast trip, they eventually celebrated with a small private ceremony, followed by a larger wedding in Mexico in 2022.

The event, marked by a rainbow during the ceremony, felt like a symbolic blessing for the baby she had lost and a joyful moment of family unity.

Yet, her personal and professional worlds remained fraught with betrayal.  During the infamous scandal involving Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval, Scheana was blindsided.

Believing Raquel’s denials, she felt betrayed when the truth surfaced.  In anger, she shoved Raquel, who responded by filing a restraining order based on false claims.

Though the case was dismissed, the ordeal left Scheana shaken.  Her marriage also faced turbulence when Brock admitted he had cheated during her pregnancy.

Though devastated, she chose forgiveness for the sake of their family.

In the end, Scheana reflected on her life as a story of resilience.  From bullying and broken relationships to public scandals and the challenges of motherhood, she continued to rise after each fall.

While betrayal and loss marked much of her journey, so too did growth, forgiveness, and triumph.  She embraced her role as a mother, a partner, and a public figure who could use her platform to support others through honesty and awareness.

My Good Side ultimately portrays her determination to define her own story, not by the pain of her past, but by the strength she found in surviving it.

Key Characters/People

Scheana Shay

At the center of My Good Side, Scheana Shay emerges as both narrator and subject, offering readers a deeply personal portrayal of her life.  Her character is defined by a strong desire for independence and affirmation, rooted in childhood dreams of performing on stage and screen.

As a child, she embodies optimism and ambition, fueled by role models like Britney Spears and Fergie, while simultaneously grappling with her biracial identity.  Scheana’s trajectory is marked by resilience in the face of relentless challenges—bullying in adolescence, betrayal in relationships, and the unforgiving scrutiny of fame.

Her vulnerability is evident in her longing for love and stability, whether through romantic relationships or motherhood.  At the same time, her determination to reinvent herself after setbacks and to carve her own space in Hollywood reveals a remarkable inner strength.

As she transitions into adulthood, she matures into someone who balances fragility with perseverance, eventually finding purpose not just in fame but in family, motherhood, and advocacy.

Raul (Biological Father)

Raul, Scheana’s biological father, is a complex presence in her story.  Though somewhat distant, he nonetheless plays an important role in her sense of self and identity.

His unconditional support, especially when she struggles with her biracial background, allows her to feel grounded despite their emotional distance.  Unlike other figures in her life, Raul’s role is not defined by direct involvement in daily experiences but by the quiet reassurance that she is loved and accepted for who she is.

This understated relationship provides her with a steady if imperfect foundation during turbulent times.

Ron

Ron, the man Scheana calls “Dad,” represents constancy and warmth.  Unlike Raul, he takes an active role in raising her, shaping her childhood with affection and stability.

His presence demonstrates how love and loyalty can transcend biological ties.  For Scheana, Ron is not only a father figure but also a reminder that chosen family can sometimes provide more nurturing than blood relations.

Through Ron, the memoir highlights the significance of emotional bonds in constructing family identity, especially for a child navigating divided loyalties between two father figures.

Erika 

Erika, Scheana’s mother, who became a parent at a young age, reflects both strength and fragility.  Her miscarriage during Scheana’s adolescence profoundly affects the household, burdening Scheana with a sense of responsibility to remain resilient for her family.

Later, her protective tendencies mirror in Scheana’s own behavior as a mother, suggesting that maternal caution and anxiety were inherited and internalized.  Erika’s role in the book underscores the intergenerational patterns of care, fear, and overprotection that shape Scheana’s experiences as a parent.

Cortney (Sister)

Cortney, Scheana’s younger sister, embodies both joy and tension in the family dynamic.  Her birth fulfills Scheana’s longing for a sibling but also introduces fears of losing her father’s affection.

This duality reflects the narrator’s constant craving for validation.  As they grow, Cortney becomes a grounding figure, later supporting Scheana during her journey into motherhood.

Their bond reflects the broader theme of family as both a source of insecurity and deep comfort.

Darlene 

Darlene symbolizes the cruelty of adolescence and the social hierarchies that leave lasting scars.  As Scheana’s chief bully, she embodies the rejection and alienation that nearly drive the narrator into despair.

The physical fight at the end of junior high provides catharsis for Scheana, symbolizing not only closure but also her growing ability to defend herself.  Darlene’s presence, though brief, is pivotal in shaping Scheana’s resilience and her understanding of how external cruelty can fuel inner strength.

Eddie Cibrian

Eddie Cibrian represents one of the most tumultuous and defining relationships in Scheana’s adult life.  Deceived into believing in their romance, she eventually discovers she is part of an affair with a married man.

The betrayal and subsequent public backlash deeply wound her, tarnishing her reputation and branding her as a “homewrecker. ” Eddie’s character reflects the darker side of Hollywood relationships—where deception, fame, and scandal converge—and acts as a cautionary figure in Scheana’s personal evolution.

His presence highlights her vulnerability to manipulation but also sets the stage for her eventual insistence on self-respect.

Michael Shay

Michael Shay, her high school friend turned husband, represents both love and tragedy.  Their relationship begins with genuine friendship and stability but becomes marred by addiction, secrecy, and emotional manipulation.

Scheana’s desperate attempts to save their marriage reveal her tendency to cling to hope even in the face of undeniable red flags.  Michael’s struggles with substance abuse and infidelity force her to confront painful truths, ultimately leading to divorce.

Yet, their later civility and her gesture of sympathy after his mother’s death show her capacity for compassion despite betrayal.  Michael Shay is central to the narrative of love, loss, and the difficulty of letting go.

Rob Valletta

Rob Valletta stands as a symbol of Scheana’s idealized vision of love.  To her, Rob represents security, deep connection, and the possibility of lasting stability.

Yet his discomfort with reality television and refusal to commit expose the mismatch between her needs and his intentions.  His admission that he only stayed with her to avoid a breakup storyline underscores the painful reality of her world, where personal relationships are entangled with public image.

Rob’s character emphasizes Scheana’s yearning for unconditional commitment while revealing how often she prioritizes perception over self-preservation.

Collin

Collin appears as a fleeting yet devastating presence.  His casual relationship with Scheana turns tragic when he dies by suicide after she discovers his infidelity.

Collin embodies the theme of loss compounded by guilt, as Scheana is left haunted by dreams of his apology.  His character forces her to grapple with mortality, betrayal, and forgiveness in a way no other relationship does, marking one of the most somber chapters of her life.

Brock Davies

Brock Davies emerges as the stabilizing figure in Scheana’s later life.  Though initially carefree and playful, he becomes her partner in building a family.

His charm, humor, and willingness to adapt to her public life contrast sharply with her previous partners’ shortcomings.  Yet Brock is not without flaws—his infidelity during her pregnancy casts a dark shadow over their marriage.

Scheana’s decision to forgive him illustrates her prioritization of family and her belief in redemption, though it also exposes her continued struggle to reconcile betrayal with the need for stability.  With Brock, Scheana finds not only romantic love but also the fulfillment of motherhood, marking the culmination of her journey.

Summer Moon 

Summer Moon symbolizes hope, healing, and renewal.  Born after a miscarriage and complicated pregnancy, she represents both Scheana’s resilience and her miracle.

Summer’s presence transforms the narrative from one of survival to one of legacy, grounding Scheana’s identity not only as a performer and partner but most importantly as a mother.  The anxieties Scheana develops in protecting Summer reveal her vulnerabilities but also highlight her fierce devotion.

Summer is less a character with agency and more a symbol of the love and purpose Scheana had sought all her life.

Themes

Identity and Belonging

In My Good Side, Scheana Shay’s experiences reveal how identity and belonging form a continuous struggle that shapes her outlook on life.  Growing up biracial, she often felt caught between different cultural expectations, sometimes questioning where she fit in socially and emotionally.

Her father’s encouragement and pride in her heritage provided her with a grounding sense of self, yet her peers’ cruelty in junior high undermined that stability.  The bullying, ridicule, and exclusion she endured deeply affected her self-esteem, forcing her to mask pain at home while desperately seeking external affirmation.

Even in adulthood, this search for belonging resurfaced—whether in relationships with powerful men, within the Vanderpump Rules cast, or in her attempts to reshape her career.  The journey reflects a dual need: to assert individuality while also craving acceptance.

As she matured, identity expanded beyond ethnicity or social validation, encompassing her role as a performer, a wife, and eventually, a mother.  The evolution from questioning where she fit in to finding strength in defining her own place illustrates how identity is not fixed but forged through repeated trials of acceptance, rejection, and resilience.

Fame, Public Scrutiny, and the Desire for Validation

The pursuit of fame is one of the most defining threads in Scheana’s life, starting from childhood admiration for pop icons and culminating in her reality television career.  At its core, her ambition to perform and be noticed is tied to a longing for validation, something she struggled to consistently find in her personal life.

Hollywood provided opportunities but also magnified her vulnerabilities, as seen in the tabloid scandals involving Eddie Cibrian and John Mayer.  Public scrutiny often reduced her to labels—“homewrecker,” “mean girl,” or “clingy”—which clashed with the more complex and nuanced reality of her struggles.

Even her participation in Vanderpump Rules was shaped by this paradox: the show brought visibility and stability, but also subjected her to harsh criticism and constant judgment.  Fame, therefore, became a double-edged sword—an avenue to achieve her dreams yet also a source of humiliation and alienation.

Her eventual embrace of authenticity, particularly in sharing her struggles with postpartum OCD, showed a shift from chasing approval to reclaiming fame as a platform for honesty and advocacy.

Love, Betrayal, and Forgiveness

Romantic relationships in My Good Side are defined by cycles of passion, disappointment, and the difficult choice to forgive.  From her toxic marriage with Michael Shay, where addiction and dishonesty eroded trust, to her heartbreak with Rob, who admitted staying with her only for the show, betrayal becomes a recurring wound.

Even her stable bond with Brock is marred by the revelation of his infidelity, proving that betrayal was not confined to her earlier years but persisted into her adult life.  Yet, the theme is not simply about broken trust; it is equally about the resilience required to move forward.

Scheana repeatedly confronts the painful task of forgiving—not because betrayal was acceptable, but because holding on to anger kept her trapped.  Forgiveness, whether extended to Brock, to friends who deceived her, or even to herself for past decisions, becomes an act of survival and self-preservation.

Rather than erasing the hurt, it allowed her to continue building connections and avoid being consumed by bitterness.

Trauma, Resilience, and Mental Health

The book underscores how trauma, both personal and public, shaped Scheana’s resilience.  Childhood bullying left scars that resurfaced in her anxieties about appearance and acceptance.

The lawsuit involving Hooters marked her first exposure to victimization on a large scale, leaving both empowerment and lingering shame.  Later, the suicide of a former boyfriend, Collin, inflicted profound guilt, haunting her through dreams and memories.

These experiences accumulated, influencing her reactions to later hardships like divorce, betrayal, and pregnancy complications.  Mental health struggles, particularly postpartum OCD, became central to her story.

Unlike the glamorous façade she maintained on reality TV, Scheana’s obsessive fears and compulsions revealed the hidden cost of trauma.  By acknowledging her diagnosis publicly and pursuing therapy, she transformed vulnerability into advocacy, offering others a path toward recognition and healing.

Her resilience was not about avoiding pain but learning to confront it openly, turning private struggles into collective conversations.

Motherhood and Transformation

Motherhood redefined Scheana’s priorities and gave her a new lens through which to process past struggles.  Despite fertility challenges and a devastating miscarriage, her eventual journey to bringing Summer Moon into the world became the most transformative aspect of her life.

The traumatic birth complicated by HELLP syndrome underscored both the fragility and strength of motherhood.  Postpartum OCD initially made her parenting experience isolating, but therapy helped her balance protection with trust, allowing her daughter independence.

Motherhood also reshaped her understanding of family: from longing for stability through men who disappointed her, she found unconditional love and purpose in her child.  While fame and relationships had once dictated her sense of worth, becoming a mother grounded her in something more enduring.

The theme reveals that transformation does not come from erasing old wounds but from discovering a deeper meaning that redefines resilience and self-acceptance.